Sen. Tom Bennett

Amends the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Provides that no former member of the General Assembly shall engage in activities at the State level that require registration under the Lobbyist Registration Act until 2 years (currently, 6 months) after leaving office. Removes provision specifying that the lobbying prohibition only applies to the General Assembly in which the person was a member. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that each individual who serves as a volunteer firefighter or a volunteer EMS provider during the taxable year is entitled to a credit in an amount equal to $500. Effective immediately.

Amends the Associate Judges Act. Provides that there shall be 3 additional associate judges appointed in the 5th circuit.

Amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934. Changes the definition of "wine" to include mead and alcoholic beverages obtained by the fermentation of the natural contents of honey. Provides that a brewer, class 1 brewer, or class 2 brewer may sell mead for on-premises or off-premises consumption. Authorizes a distributor licensee to sell mead to brewers, class 1 brewers, and class 2 brewers that sell beer, cider, or mead to non-licensees at their breweries. Provides that a self-distribution exemption for certain wine manufacturers shall allow the sale of cider, mead, or both cider and mead to brewers, class 1 brewers, and class 2 brewers that sell beer, cider, mead, or any combination thereof to non-licensees at their breweries. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.

Designates the portion of Illinois Route 171 between Illinois Route 83 and U.S. Route 45 as the "Atomic Veterans Highway".

Amends the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act. Provides that after an initial proclamation declaring that a disaster exists, the Governor may only extend that declaration or make further proclamations regarding the same disaster if the General Assembly passes a resolution within 5 calendar days that approves the extension or further proclamation. Provides that if, due to health or safety concerns, the General Assembly is unable to convene in either regular or special session to approve the extension or further proclamation, the extension or further proclamation may continue in effect until the General Assembly is able to convene in regular or special session if specified members of the General Assembly submit written certification to the Governor that the General Assembly is unable to convene to provide the necessary approval of the extension or further proclamation. Effective immediately.

Amends the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act. Provides that in addition to other specified filings of economic interests, persons holding elective office in the Executive Branch of State government, persons serving as the head of a department of State government, and members of a Commission or Board created by the Illinois Constitution shall be required to file, on a quarterly basis, a statement regarding specified ownership interest in any entity doing business in the State of Illinois. Provides that such persons shall file the required statement on or before February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1 of each year. Requires the Secretary of State to provide notice on or before January 1 of each year of the requirement to file the specified statement of economic interests on a quarterly basis. Makes other changes.

Urges Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois State Board of Education, and the Illinois Department of Public Health to allow for local control by duly elected school board members regarding decisions on COVID-19 mitigation efforts.

Amends the Food Handling Regulation Enforcement Act. In provisions regarding cottage food operations: makes changes to definitions; requires cottage food operations to comply with specified requirements (rather than providing that specified entities may regulate the transaction of food or drink by a cottage food operation if the requirements are met); adds requirements for the sale of low-acid canned foods and fermented or acidified foods; provides that food and drink produced by a cottage food operation shall be sold directly to consumers for their own consumption and not for resale; removes language requiring State-certified local public health departments to regulate the service of food by a cottage food operation and allowing them to require a cottage food operation to submit specified canned foods to a commercial laboratory to verify specified information; requires local health departments to register eligible cottage food operations and issue certificates of registration; adds an exemption for a person who produces or packages a non-potentially hazardous baked good for sale by a religious, charitable, or nonprofit organization for fundraising purposes; preempts home rule; and makes other changes. Repeals provisions regarding home kitchen operations.

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that if a generic equivalent for a brand name drug is approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, plans that provide coverage for prescription drugs through the use of a drug formulary that are amended, delivered, issued, or renewed in the State on or after January 1, 2022 shall comply with specified requirements. Provides that the Department of Insurance may adopt rules to implement provisions concerning notice of change of drug formulary. In provisions concerning a contract between a health insurer and a pharmacy benefit manager, provides that a pharmacy benefit manager must update and publish maximum allowable cost pricing information according to specified requirements, must provide a reasonable administrative appeal procedure to allow pharmacies to challenge maximum allowable costs, and must comply with specified requirements if an appeal is denied. Sets forth provisions concerning pharmacy benefit manager contracts; specified requirements that a pharmacy benefit manager shall comply with; and specified requirements that an auditing entity shall comply with when conducting a pharmacy audit. Provides that a violation of specified provisions is an unfair method of competition and unfair and deceptive act or practice in the business of insurance. Sets forth provisions concerning applicability of the Pharmacy Benefit Managers Article of the Illinois Insurance Code, and provisions concerning fiduciary responsibility of a pharmacy benefit manager. Defines terms. Makes other changes. Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Sets forth provisions concerning reimbursement of professional dispensing fees and acquisition costs for pharmacy providers.